Translated by Falinmer

03-09 True Value

The fire completely went out before long, and the area was filled with a burning smell.

「Reinhardt, thank you.」

Jin approached Reinhardt and expressed his grat.i.tude.

「Hi Jin, was this your dock？」

「yes」

「Well. … … When I noticed the smoke, the fire had already broke out and I wasn’t able to do anything.」

「No, it was difficult to put out alone.」

Reinhardt seems disappointed when Jin says so,

「However, would there be your s.h.i.+p among them? At this rate it will have been reduced to ashes already…,….」

「Eh?」

「Eh?」

Reinhardt didn’t expect such a reaction of Jin with what he was saying.

「AAAAAAH! MY s.h.i.+P!」

Marcia’s cry rang out.

「Why, why such a thing. The s.h.i.+p that we expected to finally complete! d.a.m.n it!」

As Marcia shed large tears towards the ground, Jin approached Marcia.

「Marcia, you don’t have to cry.」

Jin patted her on her shoulders as he said so.

「Jin?」

While wiping up Marcia’s face with a handkerchief, which had become messy with tears and her runny nose, Jin,

「Arrow！」

He yelled out and

「Yes.」 (TL: I guess the automaton is named Arrow and speaks in katakana, this is annoying to translate.)

An answer is returned, but for some reason from the rear.

「Look!」

Jin points to the rear, there was “Cygnus” floating in the sea.

「W-What?」

Marcia is stunned, but Jin remains calm.

「Is that the autonomous golem, Arrow? Isn’t it natural to protect the s.h.i.+p?」

「Yes. We quickly evacuated from the s.h.i.+p into the sea since a fire occurred. The bow was slightly burnt.」

「I see, it must have been difficult.」

The burned bow can be repaired immediately, so that problem has pa.s.sed. Marcia who saw the s.h.i.+p was safe was shedding tears of relief. Jin,

「Wow, Jin, you made that golem? Excellent! That a golem which can do self-controlled thought can be made, not even many in my country can make one!」

「……who？」

When Marcia sees Reinhard, her face shows suspicion, while Jin

「This is Reinhardt who I met yesterday, he’s a Magic Engineer in the Shyoro Kingdom. He helped me put the fire out. I didn’t put it out by myself.」

「Oh, I’m Marcia, a s.h.i.+pwright, nice to meet you.」

After Reinhardt makes a bow lightly to Marcia who said so,

「Well, well. As Jin introduced me, I am Reinhardt Randall, a magic engineer of the Shyoro Kingdom.」

Pus.h.i.+ng aside the onlookers, 3 guards approach. (TL: I love how the word for onlookers/spectators can also be translated as rubberneck.)

「There appears to have been a fire, was anyone here involved?？」

The person who asked appeared to be the leader.

「I’m Marcia, who rented this dock.」

「Similarly, Jin.」

「Reinhardt, a magic engineer of the Shyoro Kingdom.」

And the leader,

「Hm? … so you’re probably a guest of,….」

Reinhardt laughed,

「So you know? I’m a person of the Shyoro Kingdom who was invited to partic.i.p.ate in the golem boat race.」

Then, the leader salutes.

「Excuse me, but wasn’t your dock in the central part of the harbor?」

「Yeah. I happened to pa.s.s by by chance, because I saw the fire I put it out with magic.」

Then the leader saluted again,

「Is that so? Thank you for your work.」

Then, toward Marcia and Jin,

「I’d like you to come to the station so we can hear your circ.u.mstances.」

Reinhardt was clearly received with a different att.i.tude.

In a low voice, Jin said to Reiko,

「I’ll tell you later, make sure nothing more happens to the s.h.i.+p.」

Jin gave instructions and went out of the harbor to the office on the outskirts of the city block.

＊ ＊ ＊

While the spectators were scattering, Reiko was monitoring the vicinity. This is because she felt an unknown magical power.

And it wasn’t only Reiko who sensed it.

「What is it? This feeling?」

Reinhardt of the Shyoro Kingdom also felt the strange magic.

＊ ＊ ＊

On the other hand, questioning was being carried out in the Guards Office.

「Like I said, this morning I was helping fis.h.i.+ng and I wasn’t here!」

「When I came to the port after playing properly, the fire was already extinguished.」

Neither Jin nor Marcia were present when the fire started.

「Fumu, but it’s apparent that the fire started at the dock you borrowed.」

「But, there’s no fire in the dock!！」

「That’s apparent, but I can process materials without fire.」

「Hmm, then it is in fact an arson.」

The garrison leader had an uncooperative atmosphere and was gradually irritating Jin.

「Anyway, will it be arson or accidental fire, either way, I wouldn’t set my own s.h.i.+p on fire.」

Jin tried to bring it to an end.

「U-Umu. Is that so?」

Here, Jin said

「The other docks are safe, is there any possibility that this was an arson committed towards us because we are planning to partic.i.p.ate in the golem boat compet.i.tion?」

Then,

「Hey, shut up! You b.a.s.t.a.r.d, you can’t order me！」

The leader began to get angry suddenly. Jin thinks this is a little strange. Previously, Jin had encountered a similar atmosphere from a tax collector during a false investigation for tax evasion.

So Jin,

「The golem I made is autonomous. Why don’t you ask him? He may be able to provide some useful information.」

He says so, then in the leader’s surprise,

「What? Can you make such an advanced golem? …… It seems worth checking it then.」

So, the guard leader,

「OK. Marcia, you stay here, and Jin, you come with me.」

He said so and left Marcia to the other guards, and went to the area with the rental dock again with Jin.